Chapter 63: The Ambush Begins
The ruins of Vedangiri stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the dull orange glow of the setting sun.
Once, this had been a city of towering pillars and grand archways. Now, only broken bones of stone remained, half-buried in the earth. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay, the whisper of the wind carrying stories of battles long forgotten.
Aamir’s boots crushed brittle marble beneath them, the sound eerily loud in the silence. His hand never left the hilt of his sword, fingers curled tight around the leather grip. His heartbeat had settled into a steady rhythm, but his instincts screamed otherwise. Something was wrong.
He scanned the ruins—every broken column, every shifting shadow. His muscles coiled, ready to strike at the first sign of danger.
Seenu felt it too. His fingers hovered near the hilts of his throwing knives, his stance low, balanced. His eyes flicked left, right, then back again. He wasn’t breathing normally anymore. His body had already switched to survival mode.
They were being watched.
Kunal trailed slightly behind the others, his expression unreadable. His glasses sat slightly askew, but he didn’t adjust them. He barely noticed. The feeling in his gut was too familiar. Predators. He had grown up sensing them before they ever struck—the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on his skin, the unnatural stillness in the air before the storm, the way shadows stretched in ways they shouldn’t.
But, as always, no one asked him.
Aamir stopped near the remains of a temple wall. His voice was quiet, firm. "Let’s rest here."
No one argued.
Riya exhaled heavily and sank onto a jagged rock, adjusting the straps on her armor. Her magic reserves were running low. She could feel it in her bones. Meera crouched beside her, inspecting the edges of her daggers with a careful eye. She didn’t speak, but the tension in her shoulders spoke volumes.